I weeded out the bad news yesterday but today there’s an extra helping. Let’s start with Gatineau Park. If that sounds familiar it should – it’s where Michel LeClare invented the limitors that became the basis for flow devices used by Mike and Skip.

NCC keeping a close eye on Gatineau Park’s beaver population

Over the last few decades, the National Capital Commission has learned to live in harmony with the park’s beaver, which number more than 1,100 in 272 active beaver colonies, according to a 2011 air inventory.

Where possible, the NCC favours an approach of coexistence. Last fall, the CBC’s The Nature of Things profiled the innovative efforts of Michel Leclair, a former NCC conservation officer who has designed and installed more than 200 water control devices that have helped minimize the beaver’s destructive impact.

The NCC uses lethal force most often at 56 of its 154 monitoring stations in Gatineau Park, where it takes a “zero tolerance” approach to the presence of beaver. “Basically it’s the areas where if a dam was to break or rupture, it would present the biggest problem in terms of public safety and infrastructure,” said Emily Keough, an NCC spokesperson.

Ahh the noble NCC. I believe their motto is “We’ll allow ourselves to get credit in the documentary for living with beavers, but we still want permission to kill a few.” How exactly are these zero tolerance areas marked so the beavers know not to build there? Are their signs or caution tape?

It occurs to me that some judiciously applied castoreum might do the trick. (A beaver won’t build there if they believe someone else already has) – but don’t let science interfere with your trapping party. I can see you’re on a mission. Well, a coMISSION.

How about this inscrutable news item from Kentucky? (Where’s Ian when you need him?)

Bad beaver busted

Bruce Ward of South Mayo Trail in Pikeville shows a beaver he killed on Monday. Ward said the beaver was becoming a nuisance in the area and after contacting Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife officials told him he could harvest the animal. The beaver, Ward said, is 55 inches long and 15 inches wide.

Where to begin? First of all, how exactly was the beaver bad? Was he hanging around with the wrong crowd? Do you mean the beaver was successful, and built a dam that held back water? Just in a place you didn’t like? And second of all, why is the fact that Bruce couldn’t solve a problem so he decided to kill it instead, news? I mean, is it news when someone catches the mice in their pantry? Or steps on a spider on the sidewalk? If these minor wildlife infractions don’t rise to the level of news, why does the death of the allegedly ‘bad’ beaver?

Could it be because you know better? Or could it be that you’re glancing over the state line at your neighbors in West Virginia saying, my god we had really better take care of the things that take care of our water!

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This morning’s donation is from Northwoods Carvings and hand carved walnut by master carver Marc Degagne in Canada. Can’t you just feel the smooth weight of this water-saver when you look at it? Thanks Marc and Claire! I know this will be a popular item.